There's Something About Sam
by League Girl
Summary: Sam had always been different but could he have something else instead of just dyslexia?
1. Chapter 1

_Another one of my Benny & Joon fanfiction._

Everyone knew Sam had always been different. He had obsessions and spent his time with them, he had to clean a certain way, took things a little literal, and he was a bit eccentric.

As a kid he couldn't even read so it was a struggle. He only learned to read a little and could only read up to the first grade level. He spent his time in special ed getting extra help with his school work and kids making fun of him calling him a "retard." He would spend his time with objects and only focus on one and spend his time with it. He even stared at the ceiling, fans, shiny objects, and he would get fixated on something. No one knew what was wrong with him except that he was classically dyslexic and had problems with social skills. He didn't have any friends. His mother always yelled at him and called him names saying he was stupid. She also thought he was lazy.

She thought dyslexia was just a made up diagnoses for lazy kids who didn't want to read or do their school work so doctors just made up a name for it to make money.

No matter how hard Sam tried, he could never please his mother.

Then high school came, Sam found a way to fit in. He started to do his antics in school and kids loved it and they cheered him on. Instead of calling him names and making fun of him, they all thought he was very smart and funny so he kept doing them. But the teachers didn't like it because he stopped doing his school work because he was too preoccupied with his silent acts. It distracted the other students from doing their school work and Sam's mother was given notes about her son's behavior and meetings were held in school with her regarding her son. She was not happy about it and would yell at him about it when they get home. She even tried to take away his obsessions but Sam just kept day dreaming about them and still acted them out, he found ways. She may have tossed out his items but Sam always got more. He worked odd jobs in the neighborhood raking leaves, cutting their grass, pulling weeds, cleaning their garage and earning money avoiding his school work.

No matter how hard his mother tried, she could never get him to do his school work. Sam was uninterested in his education. He ignored her yelling and kept doing what he liked doing with his life.

Then finally he was kicked out of school for good after being suspended a few times for his antics and clowning around. His mother was furious.

Sam never bothered going back to school, nor bothered to get his GED. Because he was sixteen, his mother couldn't force him to be in school because the law was kids could quit at that age. She could have kicked him out but she didn't. Instead she just ignored him acting like he was a room mate in his house. He still worked odd jobs and bought some clothes that were vintage that looked like something Buster Keaton wore. He even bought a cane and a hat and bought some old movie posters.

People looked at him funny and he was unaware of the looks he got from strangers. He looked like he came out of an old movie from the 1920's.

Then at age twenty six, his mother finally kicked him out. She said he needed to be a man, get a job, get an education. So Sam packed up and headed out east. He had a cousin in Spokane and maybe he would let him stay with him. No one in Seattle wanted him, not even his relatives. They didn't like his antics and how weird he is. No one accepted him but the kids did when he was in high school. But he still did his silent acts just because he liked to and they kept him happy. Some people in the city watched when they see him but Sam never paid any attention because he was too far into his world to even take notice. The city was just too big to notice a strange guy doing his silent acts.

When he got to Spokane, Mike picked him up at the station but right away thought he was weird. he was not happy with him. He watched old movies and spent his time polishing his plastic forks, played with his food, spun things on his finger, played with his hat, everything Sam did was weird.

Why didn't he just tell Sam to go to bed because he is trying to sleep?

Now Mike's work was starting to suffer even though he worked installing cable TV. They lived in a studio so it was just a room and a kitchen and bathroom.

Mike was able to get rid of him through a poker game. He told Joon he takes his cousin off his hands. She lost and she had to take him home but her over protective brother wasn't happy.

Mike told him "If you're going to be a baby about it."

Then Benny agreed to take him home. they had to stop at Mike's apartment for his stuff and they brought him to their house.

Sam found himself accepted by Joon, Benny and Ruthie. Three new friends he made but Benny didn't really like his antics. He looked at him funny and always told him to knock it off but Sam never gave up. Benny didn't truly accept him till he drew a crowd in the park and they all liked him. Benny realized he wasn't weird after all and he was funny, smart, not some dumb ass.

Now that Sam was living with Joon in her apartment, Ruthie and Benny knew there was something else about him, not just some reading disability he had.

While Joon liked her routines and didn't like them being interrupted, Sam didn't like to be interrupted with his routines in cleaning and only liked doing it a certain way. He didn't allow anyone to touch his hat or cane or his puppet, only Joon was allowed to touch them. He preferred the same foods just like Joon did. While she liked to paint, Sam liked to watch old movies. Neither of them liked to be interrupted during their obsession and interests.

Joon sometimes worked on his reading and Sam liked how she didn't call him names, put him down and get mad at him. She was very patient. Neither of them liked their peers.

Joon had quit every center in Spokane to prove she hated them and Sam was never into people. He had Joon, Ruthie and Benny.

Then one day Benny was reading an article in the paper and he came across something. He read it and it seemed to have fit Sam. He called Ruthie and told her about it.

This had been a year after Joon and Sam had met.

"Ruthie, I gotta tell you something," he said.

"What?" she said.

"It's about an article I read in the paper. You've got to see it."

"Okay. What is it about?"

"It's about this condition and it's Greek for 'self' but it's a form of it, a type and boy it sure explains everything. I knew there was something different about Sam. It was discovered in the forties but it didn't get recognized till a few years ago."

"What is the condition?"

"I'll tell you, can I come over?"


	2. Chapter 2

_I'd like to thank someone for adding this story to her favorites._

Benny was heading over to Ruthie's apartment. She and him were no longer dating. They went out for a few months and things didn't work out between them. Their interests were just different and they both wanted different things in their life so it made them both incompatible, but that didn't mean they couldn't be friends. Now Benny was seeing someone else.

But Sam and Joon never had anyone either before they met so it was as if they were sole mates but they had beat losing their virginity before him.

One time when he stopped by to give Ruthie and them flowers, they were busy with making grilled cheese sandwiches, he just left the flowers in their doorway. He knew they wouldn't like to be disturbed.

When he got to the apartment, he parked his car and ran inside. He knocked on Ruthie's door.

The door opened and Benny went right inside. He pulled out the article cut from the paper and thrust it in her hands. "Read it."

Ruthie sat down and read the article.

"Well?" Benny asked.

"Hold on, still reading," she said.

Benny paced around waiting anxiously

"Sit down son, you're making me nervous," she said.

Benny sat down in a chair.

Ruthie has said that to him before when they first met.

After Ruthie was finished reading she set the article on the coffee table. "I don't know Benny," she said.

"Don't you think it sounded a bit like Sam?"

"Well there is more to it than being unable to fit in and unable to make friends, having narrow interests and fixations. You can't diagnose someone over a few symptoms. Look at the list of symptoms it shows here," Ruthie picked up the article and pointed to the symptoms checklist. "It's about rather your child could have it or not. I don't even know what Sam was like in his childhood. This whole article is about children than adults who have it. We don't even know if Sam had the rest of these in his childhood," Ruthie said as she scanned her finger down the list.

"So what do you think he has then?"

"Does it matter what he has? It's just another new label. It doesn't define anyone. Does schizophrenia define Joon? Does dyslexia define Sam?"

"Well some of it sounded like Joon too," Benny said. "The restricted routines, her patterns, her preoccupation and fixation on her paintings, she hates loud noise and she hates her peers and prefers her own company but I read that about her mental illness. Is Aspergers another mental illness? Does that mean Sam mentally ill too?"

Benny wasn't sure how to pronounce the name so he pronounced it Ass-bur-jers.

"I don't know."

"I gotta show this to Sam then, he would be the only one to know," said Benny. He took the article from her.

"You think it's important to tell him about another label and have him think there is something else wrong with him?" Ruthie asked.

"I'm dying to know," said Benny. "Only he knows about his childhood and he would know rather or not he has the rest of these symptoms."

He left her apartment and went across the hall and knocked on Sam and Joon's door.

No one answered.

"Where did they go?" Benny asked.

"I don't know," Ruthie said who was standing in her doorway.

"They didn't even say?"

"I don't tell you where I go whenever I go out, so why should they?" Ruthie said.

Benny slid the article under their door. Sam would see it and read it but Joon would probably read it to him.

"Oh Benny," Ruthie sighed.

"I think he should know about this," he said and headed out the door. He needed to spread the word.

Shall I assume he has it too? Ruthie thought sarcastically. He forgot to say "goodbye."


	3. Chapter 3

Benny rushed to Eric's house. He had grabbed another newspaper on the way there. When he got there, he parked his car in the back and got out. He knocked on the back door. Claudia answered it. "Is Eric here," Benny asked slowly.

Claudia was deaf so she could hardly hear. She read sign language or lips.

She nodded and let Benny in.

Eric was in the living room watching a game on TV and having a beer.

"Eric," Benny said. "I have something to show you," he thrust the paper on Eric's lap as he came in in the room.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Something I want you to read. Turn to page A two."

"Okay," he opened the newspaper and went to the page. "Okay what am I supposed to read here?"

Benny pointed to the article.

Eric started to read it.

"You plan on getting Joon another diagnoses?"

"What? No. This isn't about her, it's about Sam. Don't you think he might have it?"

Eric kept on reading. "Sounds a bit like him but he has great eye contact for an autistic. He has you, Joon, Ruthie. He he has all of us. Pretty good, he sure has come a long ways then, You've shown this to Mike yet?"

"I'm going to. Maybe at the next poker game. Hey let's play tonight and shove the article to him."

"I can't," Eric said. "Maybe tomorrow."

Benny waited for him to finish reading it.

After he was done, Eric said "I don't know Benny. I'm not a doctor, maybe you should tell Sam about this. Only he knows about his childhood. I think he does okay with reading people though."

"I already slid the article under his door," Benny said.

"You what?" Eric said. "I think you should tell him directly. Maybe share it with Joon first but she already understands him without the label."

"I'll stop by tomorrow and see. No I'll do it now. I wonder if Ruthie will let me in their apartment so I can get the article back. I hope they didn't come back yet."

Benny started to rush out but Eric stopped him. "Maybe you have it too," Eric teased.

"What?" Benny said.

"It's a joke, you forgot to tell me "bye." You always say 'bye' before you leave."

"Oh right," said Benny. "Bye."

Benny was in such a hurry he forgot his social skills.

Benny rushed back to Ruthie's building. When he got there, Sam and Joon still hadn't come back yet. He knocked on Ruthie's door. She was still home.

"I need to get the article back, do you have a key to their apartment?"

"I got it Benny," she said.

"You did? Where is it?"

"I threw it away."

"Oh good. That's why I came back. I told my friend Eric about it and he insisted I should tell him directly, tell Joon about it first."

"Benny, why do you want Sam to know about this? Do you think it will change anything?"

"We'll maybe he will understand why he is different, wouldn't you want to know what was wrong with you too if you were different?"

Ruthie shrugged. She had never been there before so she couldn't relate.

Oh no, does that mean I have it, she thought. Neah.

"Well, when Joon found out she was mentally ill, she felt happy because it explained why she heard voices in her head and why she heard them a lot less when she got medicated. Even her visual hallucinations went away. So why would Sam not be happy about Aspergers?"

"Maybe he would think he is crazy too," Ruthie suggested.

"I'll just tell Joon first," Benny said. "I don't see why she be upset by it. She wasn't upset with her mental illness but it took her awhile to accept it."

"And why did she have troubles accepting it?"

"She didn't think she was sick. She thought her hallucinations were real and we wanted to keep her in the hospital."

"So she didn't accept the label at first," Ruthie said. "It took her a while and when she did accept it, she felt happy because she finally understood it. She didn't take it well when you showed her the group home brochure so how is she going to take it when you show her the article?"

"Oh," Benny realized. "She is going to get upset with me and think I am calling him crazy but she seems to accept his reading problems, so why wouldn't she be able to accept another condition he may have?"

"You answered your own question Benny. A reading disability isn't an illness."

"But is Aspergers?"

"I don't know. It said it was a form of autism."

"Is that a mental illness too?"

"I don't know. I only heard it in Rain Man."

"Okay."

Benny went out the door and Ruthie followed after him. "Are you having Aspergers today? This is the second time you've done it today."

"Done what?" Benny asked.

"You forgot to say "bye."

"Bye," he waved.

Ruthie sighed. "Not literally."

Benny went back to his car and headed home. He would tell Mike about Sam another time but he needed to cook dinner for himself.

What has been going on with him all day? It seemed like everyone was saying he had AS that day even though only two people said it.

* * *

For those who don't know what AS is. It stands for Asperger's syndrome. It can also stand for Angleman syndrome but in this case, it means Aspergers because this is what this story is about. It is not an illness or a disease. It's a neurological condition.


	4. Chapter 4

_I think I'll add Humor to the genre since I am putting in humor._

* * *

Joon and Sam had came home from the movies. They saw an old Charles Chaplin movie because the old theater had decided to show silent films for a week. The admission was free.

Sam unlocked their apartment and went inside.

"I really liked how he made a cradle for the baby and used the flower watering can as a bottle," Joon said. "Are you going to do that too if we ever have a child? We wouldn't have to get up at night to feed it."

"You want to have children?" Sam asked.

"Yes," she said.

"When?"

"How about we try tonight?"

"Okay."

They both headed to their room to try and get knocked up.

* * *

Benny rushed over to Mike's apartment the next day after work hoping he'd be home, he could not wait till the poker game. He wanted to make Mike feel like an ass for how he treated Sam. Mike pounded on the door.

The door open and there stood Mike. "Oh hiya Benny," he said. "I wasn't expecting you tonight."

Benny held out the article. "Did you know Sam might have this?" he pointed to the article.  
"Have what?" he said.

"Read it and tell me."

"I don't want to read it right now."

"Read it," Benny ordered.

"Why do you want me to read it right now? Is it that important?"

"Yes it's important. This might explain your cousin."

Mike's eyes brightened thinking something happened that made him end up in the newspaper.

He grabbed the article from him and started to read. "Hey this isn't about Sam," he said.

"No, but does it sound like him?" Benny said.

Mike skimmed the article and said, "Looks like the doctors found a new word for stupidity."

"He is not stupid," Benny said firmly. "You didn't even read the whole thing."

"Well it sounds like another made up condition," Mike said. "What's next? Are they going to find a new word for ignorance and turn that into a condition? They already gave another stupidity a name for those who can't read."

"You're a real jerk Mike, you know that?" Benny said. "You think every condition is made up. What about Joon's? Do you think she's faking her illness?"

"No because it's real."

"And so is Aspergers," Benny said.

Mike smirked at the name. "Ass-bur-jers? I thought it was Ass-burgers," he said. "Sure. I'll have some fries with that."

"Very funny Mike. It's a form of autism and you think that is made up too?"

"Autistic kids are a bunch of spoiled screaming brats who need a good spanking and told to "shut up" and sit in a corner. I saw one the other week while installing cable TV. She was a real pain in the ass and the parents did nothing to shut her up. She kept screaming and peeling paper off the walls and the parents did nothing about it. They just said-"

Benny turned around and then he shot back around giving him a punch in the face. Mike fell back.

Benny grabbed the article and stormed out to his car.

He hated Mike, always had since he bet his cousin. But before, Benny didn't even care how mean Mike was being when he was talking about about him a week after he pounded into town. Then Joon made fun of him and he told her to glue her sequins. Now he wishes he just let her make fun of him. His plan had failed. Didn't Mike have any empathy? Hey maybe he has AS. At least Sam has empathy.

***

Benny called his girlfriend when he got home. They had only been going out for two months.

Jeanne answered the phone.

"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" Benny asked.

"Uh no, why?" she said.

Jeanne was a woman in her early thirties, a few years older than Benny. She had dark brown hair and was attractive and lean. She was a little tallar than Ruthie.

"I have something to show you and maybe we can go out maybe go for a walk in the park?"

"Okay, I will come over but only because I am curious what you want to show me."

"Okay."

"I'll see you then, it might be a few minutes."

Benny hung up and started dinner. He was thinking about how to tell Joon about Aspergers.

"Joon, I have something I want to show you. Would you be interested?"

"Joon, would you and Sam like to come over for dinner. I have something to say?"

"Joon, I have something important to tell you but will you promise me you won't blow up?"

Benny was thinking of the best way to tell her. Last time, he had been thinking of the best way to tell her about the group home but instead he had lost it and shoved the brochure in her face telling her "You see what we've come too, you see?"

She looked at it and started to hit him saying she hated him and she ran away and had a breakdown on the bus and got put in the psychiatric unit. She wouldn't come out or even see him. So Benny knew what he had to do, he owed Sam an apology and asked him to get her back.

Once she saw Sam again swinging outside her window, she stopped being mad at Benny and decided she wanted to try living in her own apartment.

Benny didn't want to face that situation again.

Shall I tell her I found an article and ask her to read it and tell me what she thinks of it. Maybe it will dawn on her Sam might have it, Benny thought.

Then Jeanne came over. She walked right in Benny's house.

Benny just looked at her not believing did she just walk in his house without knocking.

"Oh I guess I have been playing too much of Legend of Zelda so I forgot about reality," she said.

"It's fine, I was expecting you anyway. I found this article and I thought I'd share it with you."

Benny got the newspaper and showed her the article. Jeanne sat down and read it.

"Mmm interesting. I didn't know there was a milder Rain Man except they are closer to normal but they are slow in social skills and share some characteristics of autism."

"I really need to see that movie," Benny said. "Lets go rent it."

"Why did you want to show me this article Benjamin?"

"Because I thought maybe Sam might have it."

"I don't know him well enough to know but he is different. The way he dresses, so I can't give you my opinion. Has he seen this yet?"

"No," said Benny. "I am trying to figure out the best way to tell my sister."

"Well you can ask her to read the article and tell her what she thinks."

"But it doesn't work that way, I have to figure out a best way to tell her. She is not like other people. She might even think I am trying to place another label on her."

"Does Joon have it?"

"I don't know. I read that her symptoms are part of her mental illness. She was fine in her childhood. It was when she was twelve when she started having problems after our parents died."

"From what I have read about autism, it starts before age three."

"I wonder when Aspergers starts?"

"Under age ten I assume since they have no development delays."

"So Joon can't possibly have it then since she was normal."

The food was done cooking and Benny started to serve himself and Jeanne. He sat down and they both started to eat. They discussed about how to tell Joon.

"Why do you need to find the best way to tell her?"

Benny told her about the group home situation.

"You wanted to put her in one of those places?" she asked incredulously.

"Dr. Garvey told me I should and I didn't want to and my friend Eric said I should too."

"So what made you decide to have her live on her own?"

Benny told her the whole story from scratch starting with the brochure.

"I think that was harsh to tell it to her that way," Jeanne said.

"I lost it, I was mad at Sam so I lost it."

"Why were you mad at him?"

"Don't ask."

After they were done eating, they headed to the super market to rent Rain Man. Luckily they did have the it on shelf so they rented it and headed home with some popcorn.

* * *

_I just had to have Benny punch Mike in the face because that is how much I hate him, don't we all?_ _He made Sam sleep under the sink and called him a "stupid jerk." At least Sam got rid of his hubcaps and Benny refused to give him a jump. That's the last we ever saw him in the film. _


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was at work the next day when he found a stack of newspapers the manager was going to toss out. He asked if he can take them home. "It's for Joon," he said.

Fred knew she loved to paint so he gave him a ride home after his shift.

After he dropped him off, he helped him carry in the newspapers.

Joon was delighted to see the extra papers. "More paper for you to paint over," Sam said.

What he meant was, it was for her to spread them on the floor so she wouldn't get paint on it. Sam didn't like his clean floor getting all messed up. In their apartment, one side was the living room and then in the middle was the kitchen and dining room and the other side was the studio, followed by the bedroom and bathroom.

They put the newspapers in the studio stacking them up against the wall.

Sam waved bye to Fred and told him to have a nice day as he left. At least he had the social skills for it but he was excessive in it. He said that to every customer at work who left and greeted every customer who came in. Sam didn't know the on and off button. He was just too friendly but Fred liked it. Sam had great movie knowledge and knew every year for each old movie and every star and co stars in them so he was useful. Plus he looked like he came out of an old movie from the 1920's because he dressed up like Buster Keaton. It was a good theme for the American Classic Video. Plus his eye contact was too excessive. He looked right at you and wouldn't look away until you were done talking to him or until you were done talking to him. He didn't know he freaked people out with it. He just figured they didn't want him. The first person who ever wanted him was Joon, followed by Benny and Ruthie, then Eric and Thomas but Mike still didn't accept him.

Joon started to lie papers out below her easel. She didn't even notice the article on one of the pages.

As she painted the paint went splat on it. Sam emptied out the garbage and brought it outside. But he noticed something in the dumpster when he dumped the trash in there. A newspaper clipping Ruthie had thrown out. Sam grabbed it and looked at it.

_The mild version of "Rain Man"_ the headline read.

Thinking it was an article about an old movie, "Singin' in the Rain," Sam tried to read it but the words were way too hard. It was telling a story about a little seven year old boy with Aspergers. He had problems with comprehending the words and sounding them out so he tossed the article in recycling. Paper does not go in the trash.

It was not about an old movie. When the words "rain" caught his eyes, it reminded him of "Singin' in the Rain" so he picked it up and tried to read it thinking it was about the movie. Gene Kelly sang in the rain so rain man.

He went back inside and put in a new trash bag.

Then their phone rang. Luckily they had an answering machine. Joon always ignored it but not Sam, he only ignored it when he was in the middle of something and he wasn't doing anything at the moment, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sam," Benny said.

"Hi Benny," Sam said.

"Hey, can you two come over if you aren't doing anything tonight?"

"Uhhh," Sam was thinking. "Joon," Sam called. "Benny's on the phone."

Joon was happy her brother was calling so she put her paintbrush down. Maybe he was calling to check up on her. Benny did that every now and then, it used to be every day, then every other day, then every few days, then a week, then few times a month and then it became seldom. Benny was such a worry wart. Dr. Garvey checked up on her too every week as part of her job to see how her living situation is doing.

Sam handed the phone to Joon. "Joon, are you doing anything tonight?"

"Painting," she said.

"What about after?"

"Work on Sam's reading?"

"Well how about I come over there and you can set the teaching aside if that is okay with you."

Joon started to tug on her necklace, a change, she hated change.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you come over here anytime you want but call me first Okay? I have something interesting to show you."

"Something interesting? It's not about the group home is it," she teased.

Benny chuckled. "No, it's not. I can't tell you over the phone. I prefer in person."

"Then why don't you bring it over here and show me?"

"Okay but do you want me there, when do you want to see it?"

"Is it going to be quick?"

"I can leave it there when I get there so that you can read it anytime you want to."

"Read it?"

Oops, he had let the cat out of the bag somewhat. Now he had no choice but to tell her.

"It's just an article and I thought it was interesting."

"Why do you want me to read an article?"

"Can I just come over there and you will see?"

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because it's complicated. I need to be with you in person."

"Okay, come over but make it snappy, my painting in waiting."


	6. Chapter 6

Benny headed over to Joon's apartment. He locked his car and headed inside. He knocked on their door.

Sam answered it. "I need to see Joon alone."

"O-kay," he said.

Joon was at her easel painting. "This better not take long Benjamin."

"Sam, would you mind leaving or going in the bedroom?" Benny asked.

Sam turned around and went to their room.

Joon knew something was up because Benny had never shooed Sam out of the room.

"Close the door," Benny told him. "Can we sit down?" he asked Joon.

Joon put down her paintbrush and they both took a seat at the table.

Benny unfolded the newspaper and tried to speak. "I saw this article and I-and. Will promise me you won't get upset?"

"Sam got an audition somewhere?" Joon said.

"No he didn't. This isn't about him, well sort of."

"Why?"

"Just promise me you won't get mad. Sam isn't going anywhere. I just want to hear your opinion."

"Okay."

Benny set the article in front of Joon and pointed to it.

"It's too long," she said.

"Only half a page," said Benny.

"You did say you would leave it here so I can read it later."

Benny had forgotten about that. "Oh right, I'll leave then. When you do read it, will you call me and tell me what you thought?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Okay, I will see you soon then. Call later."

Benny left.

Joon told Sam he could come out.

"What was that about?" he asked when he came out.

"Benny wanted to show me some article so he left it on the table for me to read later," Joon replied

Sam went to the table and picked up the paper. He realized it was the same article he had found in the dumpster but the article wasn't cut out of the paper and it wasn't all wrinkled.

Sam looked up but saw Joon was back to her painting so he placed the paper down. Joon didn't like to be disturbed during her painting.

When Sam's reading lesson came, Joon put her brush down and got out some work books.

"Okay Sam it's time."

Sam was sitting on the couch watching The Birds. He was waving his arms in the air as the birds flew around attacking the villagers.

"Sam, I'm waiting,"

He went to the VCR and turned it off and the TV set. Benny had gotten them one for last Christmas.

Sam loved it when Joon acted like the mother. She made it sound like he was the child watching his favorite TV show and his mother calls for him to do his homework.

Back when he was a kid, his mother would call him and when he wouldn't come, she would come in the room and turn off the TV and yanked Sam out of the chair and pull him into a room to do his homework. She would even get mad at him for not spelling well and reading well. She hated how she had to help her son with his homework everyday after school and on weekends. Why couldn't he do his homework like all the normal kids?

Joon was the mother he never had. She bought all these fun work books and preschool story books from the local supermarket she find in the magazine section. She never yelled at him or called him names or made him feel bad. His reading and writing had improved in the past year so he was now reading at the third grade level than at the first grade level.

Sam sat down at the table with Joon. She picked up the paper.

"Do you want to try reading this article?"

What could he say? He wanted to impress her so he took the paper and tried to read it once again. After all it was about Singin in the Rain, he thought.

He started to sound out the letters. Joon helped him sound them out. After reading a paragraph, he gave up. He hated reading things that were too hard. They were just too hard to sound out.

"We'll move on to these," Joon said as she opened a work book that was for the second grade level.

They worked for the next hour and then Joon called it quits.

"Will you read this article to me?" Sam asked.

"After my shower," she said.

Sam went back to watching his movie as Joon showered. She always showered every other day while Sam did it everyday. Cleanness was important. When he get a spot on his clothes, he would wash it.

After the shower, Joon dried her hair off and brushed it and put on a pair of underwear and a t shirt and loose pants.

They both lied in bed and Joon read the headline. "The mild version of Rain Man."

She had heard of the title. It was at one of her groups she quit a long time ago and they played the movie there. Joon vaguely remembered it. She knew it was about an autistic guy and she hated Charlie because he was using his brother for money.

She remembered everyone made Rain Man jokes and acted like him and teased each other calling each other Rain Man. "That is so Rain Man" they kept saying. One of them who had a fear of flying due to an incident on an airplane when he was a kid so he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, everyone called him Rain Man for it.

Joon started to read the article.

"What does this have to do with Singing' in the rain?" Sam asked when Joon was one forth way through the article.

"This isn't about the movie."

"It's not? But it said rain man. He sings in the rain."

"Rain Man is the name of the movie Sam," Joon said.

"Really? I never heard of it."

"That's because it's not an old movie. It's only a few years."

"Oh."

Joon kept on reading. "I'm not interested anymore," he said despite the story being about the boy who couldn't fit in with his peers and every time he tried to make friends, he kept being pushed away and made fun of and he has knowledge about trains.

After she was done reading, she put the article on the floor. She would call Benny in the morning.

Sam and Joon got close together and started to do the mattress mambo.


	7. Chapter 7

_Yey I got over my writer's block so I was able to write the chapter. _

_Labels labels labels, why do we need them? This chapter will explain it. _

* * *

Joon called Benny the next day after she got up and had her breakfast smoothie.

Benny was in the shower when his phone rang so he couldn't answer it. He wondered if it was Joon calling. She would call back later.

Joon hung up.

Then Sam got up. He took a shower and got ready for work. Joon was reading a book at the table.

-----

Benny got out of the shower and dried off. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair and got dressed.

He had a bowl of cereal and headed out the door. he got in his El Camino and drove to work. He had walked to work before except he took the bus but driving would be faster and plus he needed to see Thomas.

His shop was already open when he headed there. His friend Eric who worked there got there before he did and opened it.

Benny looked at an old Honda Accord from 1977. It was brought in two days before. "Ah I see it," he said. "The belt came loose."

Then the phone rang. It kept ringing.

'Will someone get that phone please?" Benny shouted. The phone was very loud, it was one of those old noisy phones.

"I really need to get a newer phone" Benny told himself.

Waldo, the janitor, answered it. "Hello?" Then he shouted for Benny. "Benny, Joon's on the phone."

"Tell her I'll call her back."

"She says it's about the article."

"Tell her I'll call her back, I am in the middle of something."

Waldo put the receiver up to his ear again. "He is in the middle of something but he says he'll call you back."

"Benny told me to call him when I've read the article," Joon said on the other end.

Waldo covered the mouth piece again. "Benny, Joon says you told her to call when she has read it."

Benny sighed. He knew she would get mad if he didn't get to her. "Tell her hold on."

He stopped what he was doing and washed his hands and went to the phone. He took it from Waldo. "Hello?"

Benny's heart was beating. He wasn't sure how Joon was going to react to the article.

"Okay I've read it, why did you want me to? Are you trying to place another label on me?" Joon asked firmly.

"Joon, you promised you won't get mad and no I am not placing another label on you," said Benny. "I told you this is about Sam so what did you think of the article?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"Did anything in the article sound like him?"

"Yes," said Joon, "and me."

"So what do think of that?"

"I don't know. Is Sam sick too?"

"I don't know. I never thought of him as sick," said Benny. "Why don't you read it to Sam and see what he thinks."

"I tried but he isn't interested. He thought it was about "Singin' in the Rain" because he saw the word."

"Well why don't tell him the article might explain everything about him so read it to him and tell him what he thinks?"

"Why?" said Joon.

"Because then that would explain why he is the way he is," Benny said.

"So?"

"Don't you want to know?"

"Know what? That he might have Aspergers? Face it Benjamin, you don't need a word to understand someone. Shall there be a word for normal people so we can understand normality? That would explain your behavior and why you are the way you are and Ruthie and all your friends and Dr. Garvey. "

Benny sighed. "Okay, fine. If you change your mind about it, just let me know. I need to get back to work so see you soon okay?"

Joon hung up.

Benny put the phone back on the hook and went back to work. At least she didn't explode. But was she mad at him now?

"How did that go?" Eric asked.

"She isn't interested," Benny said. "You know what she told me? She told me I don't need a word to understand someone?"

"You know, she's right," Eric said. "Why do you need a label to understand someone? In fact why so do we have them? Why not just help them with their problems or accept the way they are, why do we need a label to go further with treatment? How did you view Joon before she was diagnosed?"

"I knew she was having problems," Benny said. "She had problems with her peers, she was teased, her grades were slipping, and she wanted to quit school. I figured it was just depression. Then she started to have these weird thoughts, and she started to do weird things, and started yelling for no reason acting like there was another person in the room, she got suicidal, and managed to cut herself on her face and left a scar right here," Benny pointed above his lip. "She said it wouldn't shut up so I took her to a doctor to try and get her help."

"Were you looking for a label then?" Eric asked.

"No, and she thought there were people after her and were spying on her so she was in the hospital and then I was surprised at the diagnoses. Well that explained everything because I couldn't understand what was going on. So she was medicated and it took her a while to accept she was mentally ill and as long as she keeps taking the pills, the voices will not happen as often, there won't be any people after her or spying on her, and she will do just fine."

"So you do need labels to understand someone. Without them, you are clueless why they are acting this way. But you accepted Sam before that article came along and now you are obsessing about it. Just let it go man."

"I can't. It's killing me. I really need to know," said Benny.

"Why is it so important? Just take it as a possibility he may have it and take it as that."

"It just is. What am I going to say now when someone asked me "What is wrong with that guy?" How am I going to respond? "Oh he might be autistic?" C'mon."

"Well, how would you respond if you never came across that article."

"Before, I just thought he was just weird and I had to deal with another Joon but he wasn't as crazy as her. But then I thought he is something, he's special, he has this gift."

"Bingo, tell them that then if anyone asks," said Eric. "You see, you didn't need a label to understand him."


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay I think I have one last chapter to go after this._ _This story probably seemed repetitive to you guys because Benny is obsessed about the article and the label and he can't stop thinking about it until he gets the answer. I am a repetitive person :giggles:._

_I also started a new B&J story and it will be Choose Your Own Adventure. I dunno when I post that. Whenever I am done I guess. _

* * *

Benny went and saw Thomas after work. He called him first to make sure he was home. He wasn't so Benny went to the Emma Sherman Memorial Hospital where he worked as an orderly.

He waited in the Men's locker room where employees kept their personal belongings and where they got changed before and after work.

Benny waited for a half hour before Thomas and some other orderlies came in.

"Benny, what are you doing here?" he said.

"I came to talk to you," he said.

"It would have to wait. I need to change."

Thomas went to his locker and took off his uniform and got dressed. He threw his uniform in the laundry. He grabbed his keys and Benny followed him out of the locker room.

"Did you see the article in the paper about a form of autism?" Benny asked.

"No. Why?"

"You didn't? But it was in The Spokesman Review. You read those," Benny said.

"Well I didn't read the article."

Now Benny wishes he kept it but no Joon had it.

"Was it important?" Thomas asked.

"Well, yeah. I wanted you to read it and tell me what you thought of it."

"We'll I'm sorry. I didn't know you want me to read it. Which paper was it in?"

"Few days ago," Benny replied.

"Then I don't have that paper anymore, the truck came and got all my trash and recycling."

"Oh no."

"I'm very sorry," Thomas apologized again. "What did it say?"

"It was about autism except they were talking about a different kind and some of it sounded like Sam but I don't know about the rest because I didn't know him as a kid but I have seen the other symptoms he has."

"Like what?"

"He has these fixations. He loves Buster Keaton, and Chaplin, he likes old movies and knows every year they came out and who stars in them," Benny said. "He has to do things a certain way and he prefers the same foods just like Joon, he has difficulty engaging with other people unless something interests him, his obsessions, at least has us as his friends, remember when Mike said he spent his time polishing his plastic forks?"

"I wouldn't assume over a few signs, he is probably just eccentric," Thomas said.

Then they were outside, Thomas was heading to his car. Benny was heading to his. I'll see you then."

Thomas waved to him.

Benny got in his car and went to Ruthie's building.

-------

Benny ran right inside Ruthie's building. He knocked on Sam and Joon's door.

Joon was painting when she heard a knock and Sam was in the middle of making dinner. Joon put the brush down and answered the door.

"Hey," Benny said. "I need to talk to Sam."

"Forget it Benny, you don't need a label," said Joon.

"But I just want to talk to him, I really need to know."

"Talk to me about what?" Sam said.

"Nothing," said Joon. "Just get back to work."

Sam went back to cooking.

"Do you still have the paper?" Benny asked.

"Yes," Joon said. "You want it back, you can have it."

"Good, you didn't light it on fire," he said. That was a sign she wasn't mad.

"Why the heck would I light it on fire and risk burning down the place?" Joon yelled.

"Because that is what you do when you're mad. Where's the paper?"

Joon went to her room and came back with the paper and thrust it in his hand and pushed him out the door and slammed it.

Benny knocked on the door. "Joon?" he yelled. "Joon? Please, just let me talk to him."

Sam headed over to the door but Joon told him to leave the door.

"What does he want to talk to me about?" Sam asked again.

"Nothing," Joon said again.

"But he wants to talk to be or else he wouldn't be here."

"Nothing means not important," Joon said.

Then Ruthie opened her apartment door. "Benny," she said. "Are you still going on about that article?"

"It's killing me, I really need to know," Benny said.

"Come in," she said.

Benny went in her apartment.

"It's obvious they aren't interested," Ruthie said after she closed the door. "Can you see that?"

"Yes I can see it, I'm not socially blind."

"Just let it go, Benny. Just let it go."

"I can't," he said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I want to get it out of my head and the only way I can is if Sam reads it and tells me what he thinks."

"Is it going to change anything if he did or not?" Ruthie said.

"I don't know," Benny said. "I always knew he was different and I couldn't understand why. I thought he was weird because of the way he was dressed, how he acted, and him and his old movies and what Mike said about him."

"What do you think of him now?"

"He's funny, unique, has this gift."

"And will the label change that?" Ruthie asked.

"No, not at all," Benny said.

"So why do you need to know if he has it or not. You like him for who he is so do you need a word to understand it?"

"I guess not but I was just curious."

"How do you see me?"

"You're Ruthie," he said.

"And?"

"You're a waitress at the diner, you're the manager here, you don't have a TV, you're nice."

"And would you need a word to understand me?" Ruthie asked.

"No," said Benny. "Because you don't have anything wrong with you."

"What if there was a word for normality? Would you be going through all the trouble in having your friend read that article and see if it fits us?"

"No because normal is the norm. I better get going and do some thinking. Bye."

"Bye" Ruthie said as Benny walked out to his car.


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay this is the last chapter for this story. I had fun writing it but had to end it somehow. This was actually meant to be a very short story but it turned into a long one so I made it into chapters. _

* * *

Benny drove to American Classic Video the next day. He could have walked since he lived so close to downtown but it was wet outside and drizzling so he drove. He parked his car on the side and put some coins in the meter and went to the video store. Sam was there putting movie cases back on the shelf. He had some balanced on his head and he was carrying a tray in his hand and had movie cases stacked on it.

Benny watched him put the movies cases back. He take one movie case off the tray and put it back on the shelf.

Then Sam saw him. "Hey Benny," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have a few minutes?" Benny asked.

"I'm working right now," he said. "My lunch break is about to start soon so can you wait?"

"Okay, how long?"

"I don't know, when both hands are on the twelve and six."

Benny looked at the clock. It was only a few minutes till eleven. It wouldn't be for another hour and a half. "I guess I will see you at twelve thirty then," said Benny.

"Okay. Meet me here."

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"How was Joon last night and this morning?"

"She had a few outbursts last night when I tried to get her to tell me what you wanted to talk to me about and she was fine this morning."

"What did she do?"

"Just threw stuff and locked herself in the bedroom so I left her alone."

"I hope it wasn't too bad," said Benny.

"She only kicked over a few chairs and threw her shoes at me before she locked herself in our room. She said it was for my own good."

"I guess she didn't want to hurt you."

Benny left and went back home. He didn't care about wasting a few coins. Eric was holding down the fort. Benny had decided he would come into work later after talking to Sam. He only worked weekdays as did Benny.

When the time came, Benny went back to American Classic Video and paid to park again. He went in the store. Sam was waiting in the front with his sacked lunch.

"Okay," he said.

"I needed to talk to you about something."

"That Joon wouldn't tell me about?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Benny unfolded the paper. "Shall I read this to you?"

"Yeah."

"To my car where we can have some privacy."

They went to Benny's car and he unlocked it and they both got in.

Benny started to read.

It was that same article again Joon tried to read to him.

"That's the same article Joon tried to read to me," Sam said.

"Yeah but this is important and I want you to tell me if you can relate to any of what's going on in the article, this might explain everything," said Benny.

"Okay."

Benny started reading. Sam listened intently without trying to be bored as he ate his sandwich.

After Benny was done reading a paragraph, he read each symptom to Sam and explained some of the meanings because Sam couldn't understand what those words meant like "literal in speech" so Benny had to use an example about the time Joon told him "You're out of your tree" and him saying "It's not my tree."

"It's also taking phrases literal and not knowing when someone is being sarcastic, problems understanding it, and jokes."

"Yeah," Sam said.

After he was done going through the list of symptoms and having Sam answering "yes or no" to each and one of them, Benny read the rest of the article

After he was done he asked him what did he think.

"It's interesting. Thanks Benny."

"But do you think you have it?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. I wonder what my own mother would say if I called her and told her? "Oh another made up condition to be lazy, stupid and weird," Sam said imitating his mother's voice.

"Your cousin Mike said the same too," said Benny. "Those two are lot alike."

"Maybe we both got switched at birth," Sam joked even though Mike was a lot older than him.

"Now why do you suppose Joon was bothered by the article and didn't want to tell you?"

"I guess I'll ask but I'm afraid she'll flip again."

"Most likely be mad at me," said Benny.

In truth, Sam didn't understand all the words in the article like motor mannerisms, ritualistic behavior, repetitive behavior, stereotypy, nonverbal communication. Maybe Joon would know.

"But did it sound a lot like you."

"Yes and no," said Sam.

"So why did you say "maybe, maybe not?" Benny asked.

"Because I'm no doctor."

"Would you like to see one then about it?"

"I don't know and I really don't care."

"Why?"

"I remember the label that got placed on me in school and it made me feel like I was stupid because I couldn't read or write and my mother got mad at me about it all the time and she hated my behavior and always said "Why can't you be like the other kids?" "Why can't you be normal?" "I wish my son wasn't broken."

"You're not broken," said Benny. "Your mother was wrong how she treated you."

"I still love her," he says. "I sometimes send her letters but she never writes back despite my good handwriting and use of words Joon does."

"How could you love a witch like her? She abused you," Benny said. "She made you feel bad and hate yourself, and she kicked you out."

"She's my mother," Sam said.

"Well if my own mother abused me, I would never be talking to her again or have any contact with her."

Sam finished his sandwich. "We'll I better get back to work."

"Wait," said Benny. "If you had this label placed on you, do you think your mother is going to know anything about it?"

"No. I just don't want another label and then learn there is something else wrong with me."

"So you don't want to know if you have it or not?"

"No."

Sam closed the car door and went back to work.

Benny sighed.

-------

A whole week had gone by and Benny had still been thinking rather Sam had Aspergers or not. His girlfriend pretty much told him the same thing Joon, Eric, and Ruthie had told him. He still had the paper but he kept it in his room. His house was a little bigger because all of Joon's stuff was gone. All her toys, books, clothes, art supplies, her paintings and drawings and her furniture. They were all in her apartment.

Joon hadn't spoken to him in a week. Benny never called her to see how she was doing and he had never heard from Sam either.

Every time Joon ran low on her paint supplies, she would sometimes call him but she usually had Sam do it. If he couldn't because he didn't have the time, she called him.

Had Sam confronted her about the article?

No she was probably alright or else he would have gotten phone call saying Joon is having an episode.

Benny would never know if Sam has Aspergers or not. No one cared if he did or not, even Sam wasn't even interested in finding out if he had it or not. Who wouldn't want to know if they have a condition or not?

Now he was going to have to try and get over it. Maybe he needed to get some counseling so he can get it out of his head since he couldn't do it on his own.

------

Benny saw someone the following week. That doctor knew nothing much about autism but he needed someone who worked with people to get over things like failed relationships, divorce, or death of a parent or friend. He was that kind of doctor.

Dr. Marshell thought it was something that a patient was obsessing over an article, it was so unusual and uncommon. He needed his question answered before he could move on and now that Sam wasn't interested in getting assessed in it, he was screwed.

They talked about the article and the label. The doctor told him it was just a label and it doesn't define Sam. He used cancer as an example.

"Let say someone can lungue cancer, they are them, not cancer. It doesn't define them. Someone has diabetes, that disease doesn't define them. They are them, not diabetes. You are you. What do you like to do?"

"I like to play poker with my friends and we all bet on items we don't want," he said.

"Oh that's a neat idea. You guys don't play for money, you play for keeps," Dr. Marshell said.

"Just something we have been doing for the past few years when my friend started working for me. That's how we met. Then one day he invited me over to his house for a game of poker and that was how I met my other two friends. but one of them I don't know if I shall consider my friend. I hate him. He isn't very nice and he puts Sam down, and thinks labels are made up."

"Well they are," Dr. Marshell said. "Conditions need to have names."

"No I mean he thinks they are made up for an excuse to be lazy and stupid. He doesn't think the problems are real. He even thinks autism is made up too."

They both talked more until the session ended. Benny felt a little better but he still needed to keep seeing him.

He saw him four more times before he was completely over it.

It was just a label and it didn't define anyone. Did autism define Rain Man? Did Joon's mental illness define her? Did Sam's reading disability define him?

Who was Sam? Sam was someone who loves Joon very much and works at the American Classic Video. He loves old movies and knows every year to them they were released and every star in them and co star. He memorizes lines and silent acts. He loves Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin and he cleans and cooks the unique way. He didn't care about fashion, he wore what he liked and what felt comfortable on him. So does he have Asperger's syndrome or just have traits of it but not enough to be on the spectrum? Or could his traits be part of dyslexia? Or was he just eccentric?

* * *

_Left you guys hanging huh? Honestly I am not sure myself if he has it or not. I know he was meant to be eccentric in the movie but he seemed aspielike, sometimes people happen to give characters aspie traits rather it's their intention or not. Some people say he does and some say he is was nuts, eccentric, weird._


End file.
